More Willingly to School: Tools for teachers to cope with linguistically diverse classrooms

Students’ lack of school success often lies in the differences between the language used at home and the ‘school language’ they are required to use at school. A better insight into the domains in which the school language register is used can yield important information for classroom practice. A framework was drawn up in which five domains are distinguished where specific problems might be located: language-internal aspects (mastery of vocabulary, grammar, etc.), literacy (reading and writing skills), interaction (interpersonal communication skills), learning (content-related organizational and studying skills), and presentation (explanatory skills). To test the viability of this framework and how it might be used to better address the problems encountered by teachers in the classroom, two studies were carried out. In the first - top-down - study, six experts from different European countries were asked to reflect on the domains framework. In order to diagnose the problems encountered in the domains distinguished, a survey was conducted among 58 secondary-school teachers spread over 30 cities in North Rhine-Westphalia (Germany). After the discussion of the outcomes of the studies and the survey, the practical relevance of the school language framework and new opportunities for teacher training are addressed.